Neutron Imaging, an Essential Tool for the Hydrogen Economy

The problem that the NIST Neutron Imaging Facility (NIF) can address that
directly impacts the progress of the Hydrogen Economy is the issue of flooding
and water management in hydrogen fuel cells. The development of robust and
efficient fuel cell designs requires a non-destructive tool that can probe and
evaluate the production of water in hydrogen powered fuel cells. Here at the
NIST Center for Neutron Research a new,
advanced fuel cell imaging facility has been built to do just this. This
facility provides the necessary infrastructure for fuel cell manufacturers and
university users to perform fuel cell experiments on both commercial grade and
smaller research grade fuel cells and stacks. This facility allows visualization
of water production and removal in operating fuel cells in conditions simulating
the real world artic freeze/thaw and desert heat environments. The current NIF
is a second generation of neutron imaging facilities built here at NIST. This
capability has recently received independent credit for the impact it is
providing to fuel cell developers from the National
Academies report, which states that: "The NIST effort ... is a
considerable achievement and one of the most significant analytical advances in
the membrane fuel cell realm in decades. The NIST facility offers the entire
fuel cell community unique research opportunities that previously eluded
them."

Overcoming Technological Barriers to the Hydrogen Economy
The "hydrogen economy" would use domestic sources of energy to create
hydrogen gas, which in turn could be used as a transportation fuel. Other
possibilities include using hydrogen-bearing fuels such as alcohol or natural
gas as potentially economical and long-lasting sources of electrical power for
portable electronics such as cell phones and laptop computers, or even for
powering buildings that are remote from power lines.

Many technical and economic hurdles remain before these technologies can be
made widely available. Reducing costs, improving efficiencies, and making the
technology reliable enough for everyday use will all be important. If these
technical goals are achieved, the broad use of hydrogen as a fuel may prove to
have environmental advantages as well. The Department of Energy is leading the
Presidentís Hydrogen Fuel Initiative to achieve these goals.

NIST research helps support this developing technology in many ways. Projects
currently under way at NIST are providing measurements, data, and technologies
needed to develop and test the performance of hydrogen-based power sources and
to improve the efficiency of hydrogen production methods.

A new imaging facility at the NIST Center for Neutron Research provides a
rare portal for visualizing water and hydrogen transport in fuel cells.
Neutrons reveal how water forms and moves while a fuel cell is operating.
Mastering the combined challenge of managing incoming humidity, proper
hydration of fuel cell membranes, and the handling of water byproducts is
essential to the development of fuel cells that are practical for automotive
and residential applications as well as portable devices.